7 Attributes of a Wise Leader

By Ron Edmondson

“Wise leaders are valuable to any organization.”

I write and speak a lot about leadership. I know lots of good leaders. In fact, I work with many good leaders. I hope some would even say I have days where I meet the standard—whatever the standard is.
I also write and speak a good deal about wisdom. And I think wisdom is critical to the field of good leadership.
A wise leader has developed certain attributes—wisdom learned from the personal experience of success and failure and from the insight of other leaders—which sets them apart from other leaders. Wise leaders are valuable to any organization.
But, I’ll be honest. There are few I know in leadership whom I would consider truly wise. Wise leaders have moved to a new stage in life from mostly learning from others to being looked to as a resource. People seek their input because they know they are seasoned leaders. They are investors in new generations of leaders.
I am going to list some attributes I have observed in leaders who have  wisdom. Think in your mind people you believe are “wise” leaders.

Here are seven attributes of a wise leader:

The Art of Timing
The wise leader knows time is a commodity. They use sound judgement in decision-making. They have patience. They know organizations and individuals have seasons. Seasons of plenty and seasons of want. They have learned there is a right time to act and and there are times to wait.
Character Morality
The wise leader places a high value on integrity. They know ultimately everything rises and falls on the moral fiber of an individual. They’ve seen people lose everything with one bad decision. They know reputation is hard-earned and should be treated as gold.
Leads With Vision
The wise leader understands the value of a big picture. They keep an eye on something worth attaining. They continually motivate others by sharing the “Why.” They know momentum lost is hard to regain. They continually seek change that will spur energy around the vision.
Initiative
The wise leader is risk-taking and intentionally encourages innovation. They have witnessed a stalled organization. They know the dreadful feeling when there is no forward progress. They have personally experienced the cost of lost opportunity. They want to engage others by keeping things moving, people dreaming and the culture exciting.
Visible Diligence
The wise leader continues in spite of adversity. They tenaciously persevere. They know reaching a goal is worth the struggles to get there. They’ve been through storms before and have scars to prove you can come through them whole. They are seen as pillars. Strength under duress. People look to them for stability.
Strategic Thinkers
The wise leader realizes no dream becomes reality without proper planning. They make sure plans are in place and people know what’s expected of them. They utilize healthy systems and structures. They aren’t burdensome with rules, but they are helpful in thinking through a process to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization.
Genuinely Love People
The wise leader knows people are the key to any organizational or team success and they work to empower others. Others know they are valued and appreciated under their leadership. They are true delegators. They invest in and develop the next generation. They look past the income statement to see the balance sheet—with people as the greatest asset.
What am I missing? What would you add to my list?  

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Ron Edmondson is a pastor and church leader passionate about planting churches, helping established churches thrive, and assisting pastors and those in ministry think through leadership, strategy and life. Ron has over 20 years business experience, mostly as a self-employed business owner, and he's been helping churches grow vocationally for over 10 years. More from Ron Edmondson or visit Ron at http://www.ronedmondson.com/

10 Characteristics of Good Leadership

By Ron Edmondson

Good leaders are always thinking beyond today and asking "What's next?"

Here are 10 characteristics of good leadership:
1. Recognizes the value in other people, so continually invests in others – Good leaders see a large part of their role as developing other leaders. Leadership development takes place in an organization as good leaders begin to share their experiences, good and bad, with others.
2. Shares information with those in the organization – There is a tendency of some leaders to hold information, because information is power, but a good leader knows that the more information the team has that collectively the team is better, which directly benefits the leader.
3. Has above average character – There are no perfect people, but for a leader to be considered good, they must have a character that is unquestioned within the organization. Leadership always draws criticism from someone, so a leader may not be able to get everyone to believe in him or her, but the people who know the leader best should trust the leader’s character.
4. Uses their influence for the good of others – Good leaders are as interested in making a positive difference in people’s lives as they are in creating a healthy profit margin. This doesn’t mean that balance sheets and income statements aren’t important. In fact, they are vital for the success of an organization (even non-profits), but a good leader doesn’t separate a desire for helping others from the desire for financial success. Good leaders find ways to leverage financial health to strengthen the well-being of others.
5. Is skillful and competent – Good leaders can be depended on for their professionalism and follow-through. You don’t question whether a good leader is going to be able to complete a task. If they don’t know how to do something, they will find someone who does, but they will ensure that a job is done the best way it can be done.
6. Not afraid for others to succeed (even greater than their own success) – Good leaders realize that some followers will outgrow the leader’s ability to develop them any further. Good leaders, however, aren’t threatened by another’s success. They are willing to celebrate as those around them succeed.
7. Serves others expecting nothing in return – Good leaders have a heart of service. They truly love and value people and want to help others for the good of the one being helped, not necessarily for personal gain.
8. Continues to learn – Good leaders are always learning and implementing those learnings into the betterment of the organization. That could be through reading, conferences, Web-based learnings, or through other leaders, but also through people who report to the leader.
9. Remains accessible, approachable, and accountable to others – Good leaders don’t isolate themselves from people regardless of the amount of responsibility or power he or she attains. Good leaders willingly seek the input of other people into their professional and personal lives.
10. Is visionary: Thinks for the organization beyond today – Good leaders are always thinking beyond today. “What’s next?” is a common question asked by good leaders, knowing that someone must continually encourage change, growth, and strategic thinking for an organization to remain healthy. 

Ron Edmondson is a pastor and church leader passionate about planting churches, helping established churches thrive, and assisting pastors and those in ministry think through leadership, strategy and life. Ron has over 20 years business experience, mostly as a self-employed business owner, and he's been helping churches grow vocationally for over 10 years. More from Ron Edmondson or visit Ron at http://www.ronedmondson.com/

You Need to Develop More Leaders—12 Values to Get You There

You Need to Develop More Leaders—12 Values to Get You There

By Brandon Cox John Maxwell said, “Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team.” When it comes to church leadership, there isn’t any room for lone rangers. We need a team. We need to be making more disciples, and empowering more leaders to fulfill the mission Jesus gave us.
Tony Morgan was spot on in a recent blog post in which he spelled out the two keys to breaking through any growth barrier. He boiled it down to developing more leaders and developing better systems. The problem is, some churches are terrible, unhealthy incubators for potential leaders. From churches that still think nominating and voting on volunteers is actually effective to those that create a culture where volunteers are afraid to mess up, many churches reflect a set of values that stifles leadership development.
I recently met with the Grace Hills staff to remind us all of some of the key values of a church that allows volunteers to emerge as leaders and develops great teams. These may seem a little random, but they actually flow together.
1. The leader of leaders must be growing spiritually and developing personally. I am the biggest lid to my team’s growth.
2. There is always room on the team for another leader.
3. When we’re out of room, we create new layers with leaders of other leaders.
4. With few exceptions, no one is disqualified from the team.
5. Doubling the team means doubling the reach. To reach more people, develop more leaders. Leaders who have bought in are most likely to bring others.
6. Leaders are best developed in personal relationships, face-to-face. Mass emails and calendars have their place, but leaders are developed in person.
7. We have to start with a vision, a mental picture, of what a mature leader looks like. Otherwise, we can’t know where we’re leading people.
8. Leadership development needs an intentional process with defined next steps.
9. We must lead spiritually, not just organizationally. In the church, discipleship and leadership development are almost synonymous.
10. Developing leaders need permission to try, to fail and to succeed. Some great future leaders are just waiting for permission to launch.
11. Leaders provide people with the tools, resources, budget and encouragement to succeed—not rules and red tape.
12. We try to serve up a win for developing leaders. We get out in front and help pave the way for volunteers to see the positive results of their efforts.
I wrote a couple of years ago that “no one does more to determine the spiritual temperature of my church than me, the pastor.” I still believe that. And I believe it about every church staff member who leads a team, every supervisor in a company, every teacher in the classroom and every other kind of leader in the world.
To grow, develop more leaders and better systems, and make sure your organization creates the healthy environment in which leaders can thrive.

Brandon Cox is Lead Pastor of Grace Hills Church, a new church plant in northwest Arkansas. He also serves as Editor and Community Facilitator for Pastors.com and Rick Warren's Pastor's Toolbox and was formerly a Pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. In his spare time, he offers consultation to church leaders about communication, branding, and social media. He and his wife, Angie, live with their two awesome kids in Bentonville, Arkansas.
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20 Things GREAT Public Speakers Do

20 Things GREAT Public Speakers Do

By Brian Dodd Leadership comes with a microphone. This is because in every leader’s life there comes a time when they must stand up and say, “Follow me!”
In an effort to help provide leaders with the best public speaking tools, I turned to the greatest leadership book ever written—the Bible.
In 1 Chronicles 28-29, King David stands before the nation of Israel and calls them to sacrifice for the construction of Solomon’s Temple. In addition to casting vision for this legendary facility, there is an increased level of drama because David is handing the mantle of leadership to his son Solomon just prior to his death.
As I read the text, the following are 20 Things Great Public Speakers Do I gleaned from these two chapters. First is the lesson followed by the supporting text.
1. Great Public Speakers Know Their Audience – 28:1 – “Now David assembled at Jerusalem all the leaders of Israel, the officers of the tribes and the captains of the divisions who served the king, the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons, with the officials, the valiant men and all the mighty men of valor.”
2. Great Public Speakers Immediately Connect With the Audience – 28:2 – “King David rose to his feet and said, ‘Hear me my brethren and my people.”
3. Great Public Speakers Use Passion to Speak To People’s Hearts – 28:2 – “I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God.”
4. Great Public Speakers Use Facts to Speak to People’s Minds –  28:2 – “and had made preparations to build it.”
5. Great Public Speakers Authentically Address Real Issues – 28:3 – “But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.’”
6. Great Public Speakers Speak Directly to the Next Generation – 28:4 – “He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel.”
7. Great Public Speakers Point to a Brighter Tomorrow – 28:7 – “‘I will establish his kingdom forever, if he is steadfast to observe My commandments and My judgments, as it is this day.’”
8. Great Public Speakers Give Detailed Instructions – 28:8 – “‘Be careful to seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land, and leave it as an inheritance for your children after you forever.’”
9. Great Public Speakers Are Great Encouragers – 28:10 – “Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it.”
10. Great Public Speakers Are Personally Invested in the Audience’s Success – 28:11-17 – “Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the vestibule, its houses, its treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner chambers and the place of the mercy seat; and the plans for all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of the Lord, of all the chambers all around, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries for the dedicated things; also for the division of the priests and the Levites, for all the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and for all the articles of service in the house of the Lord. He gave gold by weight for things of gold, for all articles used in every kind of service; also silver for all articles of silver by weight, for all articles used in every kind of service; the weight for the lampstands of gold, and their lamps of gold, by weight for each lampstand and its lamps; for the lampstands of silver by weight, for the lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand. And by weight he gave gold for the tables of the showbread, for each table, and silver for the tables of silver; also pure gold for the forks, the basins, the pitchers of pure gold and the golden bowls—he gave gold by weight for every bowl; and for the silver bowls, silver by weight for every bowl.”
11. Great Public Speakers Give the Audience Great Courage – 28:20 – “And David said to his son Solomon, ‘Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God—my God—will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.’”
12. Great Public Speakers Give the Audience the Tools and Resources Needed for Success – 28:21 – “Here are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God; and every willing craftsman will be with you for all manner of workmanship, for every kind of service; also the leaders and all the people will be completely at your command.”
13. Great Public Speakers Speak With Great Clarity – 29:1 – “Furthermore King David said to all the assembly: ‘My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen.’”
14. Great Public Speakers Call the Audience to a Higher Purpose – 29:1 – “The temple is not for man but for the Lord God.”
15. Great Public Speakers Are Approachable, Humble and Have a Spirit of Gratitude – 29:10-13 -“David blessed the Lord before all the assembly; and David said: ‘Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name.’”
16. Great Public Speakers Go Through a Process of Great Preparation – 29:16 – “O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own.”
17. Great Public Speakers Want Something for the Audience, Not Just Something from the Audience – 29:19 – “Give my son Solomon a loyal heart to keep Your commandments and Your testimonies and Your statutes, to do all these things, and to build the temple for which I have made provision.”
18. Great Public Speakers Ask the Audience for Great Commitment – 29:20 – “David said to all the assembly, ‘Now bless the Lord your God.’ So all the assembly blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the Lord and the king.”
19. Great Public Speakers Reproduce Themselves – 29:25 – “The Lord exalted Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.”
20. Great Public Speakers Leave a Great Legacy – 29:26-28 – “David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. And the period that he reigned over Israel was 40 years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and 33 years he reigned in Jerusalem. So he died in a good old age, full of days and riches and honor.”
I trust this information will help you with your next speaking assignment.

Brian Dodd is a church stewardship & leadership consultant. See www.briandoddonleadership.com for additional insights.
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KUALITAS PRIBADI SEORANG KONSELOR

KUALITAS PRIBADI SEORANG KONSELOR
Diringkas oleh: S. Setyawati

Hal yang paling penting untuk dimiliki seorang konselor Kristen adalah karakter dan kepribadian yang luhur, yang tidak berfokus untuk membesarkan dirinya sendiri.

Dr. C.W. Saleeby, penganut Eugenics (ilmu terapan khusus bio-sosial) Inggris, dalam bukunya "Worry: the Disease of the Age", menjelaskan dengan tegas bahwa dokter sangat berperan dalam menolong pasien agar tidak khawatir karena pikiran pasien memengaruhi apakah ia akan tetap hidup dan pulih, atau tidak.

Konselor yang memiliki pikiran sehat dan karakter yang kuat dapat menolong konseli dengan lebih baik. Seorang konselor yang berkarakter tentu mau menemui konselinya dengan senang hati sehingga konseli merasa nyaman. Dengan penampilannya yang menarik, serta kata-kata dan tingkah laku yang baik, konselor memberikan kesan kuat, percaya diri, berkualitas dalam kepemimpinan, dan membangkitkan rasa percaya diri dan harapan kepada konseli.

Seorang konselor Kristen yang berkarakter memiliki persekutuan dengan Allah dan rasa simpati kepada orang lain serta rasa empati yang mencakup belas kasihan terhadap kegagalan dan kelemahan manusia, dan kasih kepada orang lain. Seorang konselor pertama-tama harus memiliki pemahaman yang benar tentang dirinya sendiri. Walaupun kita tidak dapat benar-benar mengenali diri sendiri dengan baik dan mudah menipu diri sendiri untuk mencapai tujuan kita, penting bagi kita untuk berusaha mengenali diri kita sendiri dengan pertolongan Tuhan. Mazmur 139:23-24 berkata, "Selidikilah aku, ya Allah, dan kenallah hatiku, ujilah aku dan kenallah pikiran-pikiranku; lihatlah apakah jalanku serong, dan tuntunlah aku di jalan yang kekal!" Hanya Allah yang mengenal diri kita; hanya Dia yang dapat membebaskan kita dari kutuk kesalahan-kesalahan yang tersembunyi.

Bagi konselor, belajar mengenal Allah dan diri sendiri sama-sama penting. Seseorang dapat terlalu lunak atau kasar dalam menghakimi diri sendiri. Ia bisa sangat mudah memaafkan atau menyalahkan dirinya sendiri. Berbeda dengan Allah, penghakiman-Nya sangat adil. Ia memeriksa manusia untuk menguak rahasia-rahasia terdalam dalam hatinya, lalu membersihkannya dan menuntunnya ke jalan yang benar.

Seorang konselor tidak akan dapat memahami kesulitan-kesulitan orang lain dengan benar sebelum ia sendiri memahami kesulitannya. Ralph Waldo Emerson berkata, "Ada satu pemikiran yang umum pada semua individu. Setiap orang adalah ceruk yang sama, dan semua orang adalah sama." Dan, Mark Twain menyetujui pernyataan Emerson dengan menyatakan bahwa tahun demi tahun ia semakin menyadari dan meyakini bahwa dia memiliki kemiripan dengan orang lain, entah sifat baik atau buruk. Voltaire juga mengamati persamaan mendasar dari beberapa orang, dia mengatakan bahwa dengan sedikit imajinasi dan hati, seseorang dapat mengerti hal-hal yang ada di dalam manusia pada umumnya.

Sainte-Beuve, kritikus literatur Perancis, menyatakan bahwa seseorang dapat memasuki kehidupannya yang terdalam tanpa harus meninggalkan dirinya sendiri. Dr. Jung dalam bukunya "Modern Man in Search of A Soul" menuliskan, "Di dalam setiap orang terdapat sifat jenius, jahat, dan suci". George Santayana, seorang filsuf modern, mengatakan adanya kesulitan besar yang menghadang setiap orang yang ingin berhasil menyelidiki kepribadian mereka sendiri. Pernyataan yang senada ditemukan juga di Mesir pada tahun 1993, yang ditulis pada sebuah papirus dalam bahasa Yunani yang berbunyi, "Kerajaan surga ada di antara kamu, dan siapa pun yang mengenal dirinya sendiri akan menemukannya."

Perkembangan ilmu pengetahuan tentang kepribadian manusia baru dimulai pada abad XX, yang menyimbolkan keseganan kita untuk menghadapi diri kita sendiri. Kita tidak akan dapat menghancurkan atau mengatur bias diri di dalam kepribadian kita sendiri kalau kita tidak mau melakukannya. Oleh karena itu, para konselor profesional biasanya disarankan untuk mengikuti tes psikoanalisa bersama psikoanalis (ahli menganalisis jiwa) yang terlatih. Ini akan menolong calon konselor untuk memperoleh pengertian yang dalam tentang masalah-masalah dan kesulitan-kesulitannya. Namun, bagi konselor Kristen disarankan juga untuk bekerja sama dengan psikiater yang mampu dan memiliki simpati dengan kekristenan. Dr. Karen Horney, seorang analis yang sangat kompeten, juga menyarankan agar calon konselor menganalisis diri sendiri. Hal ini berguna bagi calon konselor untuk merasionalisasi dirinya sendiri, sekaligus memberi pengertian yang lebih baik mengenai kehidupan rohaninya sendiri.

Dengan mengenali diri sendiri, konselor tidak akan cenderung membenarkan diri sendiri dan mencari-cari kesalahan orang lain. Bagi seorang konselor yang mau melihat ke dalam hatinya sendiri, ia tidak memerlukan pengakuan orang lain untuk meningkatkan percaya dirinya. Selain itu, konselor harus semakin rendah hati agar tidak cenderung menghakimi sesama. Dengan begitu, konseli yang mau mengakui dan menyesali perbuatannya yang salah, tidak melihat tanda memalukan dan menjijikkan pada wajah dan sikap konselor, seperti wanita pendosa yang mengurapi kaki Yesus di rumah Simon.

Konseli tersulit yang akan dihadapi konselor adalah mereka yang merasa dirinya benar, yang menutup pintu akses kepada anugerah dan belas kasih Allah dengan tangannya sendiri. Konselor Kristen harus memastikan bahwa tidak ada sifat "orang Farisi" yang melekat dalam karakter konseli yang dilayaninya. Oleh karena itu, alangkah baiknya jika konselor mengganti celaan terhadap dosa orang lain dengan usaha keras dan teguh untuk mengenal dirinya sendiri.

Ketika melayani konseli, konselor mungkin akan mendapati dosa-dosa yang diakui oleh konseli. Akan tetapi, konselor tidak boleh membiarkan rasa muak menguasainya hingga ia menghakimi konseli. Ia pun tidak layak merasa diri lebih benar dibandingkan konseli yang mengaku dosa di hadapannya. Bisa saja pengakuan dosa yang dilakukan konseli menyingkapkan bahwa di dalam kehidupan konselor sendiri ada dosa yang tidak terdeteksi dan tidak diakuinya di hadapan Allah. Karena itu, kita harus menyerahkan penghakiman kepada Allah. Hanya Dia yang berhak menghakimi karena Ialah yang mengetahui dan memahami hati manusia.

Allah sendiri yang mengetahui dengan pasti setiap kelemahan dan kekuatan kita. Ia mengetahui kerinduan kita untuk memiliki kehidupan yang lebih baik dan betapa malunya kita atas kesalahan-kesalahan yang sering terulang. Allah mengetahui apa yang kita lawan dan kemenangan kecil yang sudah kita dapatkan. Jika kita mengalami kesulitan, libatkan Tuhan untuk menolong kita. Bagian kita adalah mencoba mengerti dan membantu konseli.

Konselor Kristen perlu mengembangkan sikap dan jiwa yang memacu optimisme, rasa percaya diri, pengharapan, dan membesarkan hati. Seperti yang Yesus katakan kepada seseorang yang kesalahannya secara nyata tidak dapat disangkal, "Aku juga tidak menghukum kamu: pergilah, dan jangan berbuat dosa lagi." Hal yang Ia tawarkan kepada semua orang yang menyesali dosa-dosanya, yang berkecil hati, adalah pintu dan gerbang yang terbuka serta permulaan yang baru. Ini merupakan pesan pemulihan, pengembalian, dan penyelamatan.

Kita perlu mengingatkan konseli kepada kegagalannya dan menolongnya untuk menyadari rasa sakitnya, rasa kecil hati, dan patah semangatnya. Lalu, dengan kasih Kristus, kita menolong mereka untuk membangun kembali rasa percaya diri dan harapan mereka. Sering kali dalam khotbah akhir/awal tahun, jemaat diajak untuk mengingat kembali kesalahan/kegagalan masa lalu dan didorong untuk memperbaikinya pada tahun yang baru. Dengan demikian, jemaat tidak terperangkap dalam perasaan hina, putus asa, dan depresi; tetapi bersemangat karena masih memiliki Yesus dalam hati mereka dan Ia akan menguatkan mereka untuk terus berjalan dan berkemenangan.

Konselor Kristen yang sudah mengalami kekuatan Allah yang tidak terbatas secara pribadi dapat melihat iring-iringan manusia, yang dahulu berkecil hati karena kegagalan moral telah ditopang oleh kekuatan Kristus, dan mendapatkan kemenangan yang pasti dan kekal. Hanya setelah mengalami perasaan sesal dan sedih yang mendalam karena dosanya dan mengetahui kebahagiaan dan kebebasan di dalam pengampunan Allah, konselor Kristen dapat memimpin orang lain kepada pengalaman perubahan.

Sikap, simpati, dan pengertian kita kepada orang lain, belas kasihan kepada orang yang sedang mengalami masalah, ketenangan, iman yang sungguh-sungguh di dalam Allah, dan keyakinan kepada Kristus yang disertai kesaksian pribadi lebih meyakinkan konseli untuk mendengarkan penguatan kita.

Konselor Kristen harus mengembangkan kehidupan rohaninya dan bekerja sama dengan konselor Kristen lain yang benar-benar tekun dan terlatih sehingga iman Anda semakin berkualitas untuk mendapatkan kepercayaan dari para konseli, bahkan sebelum ia berhadapan dengan masalah-masalah mereka. Satu hal yang harus diingat konselor Kristen adalah memberitakan Kristus kepada konseli, dan menjadi mediator antara konseli dengan Allah. Terkadang, kita harus menjadi "seperti Allah" bagi konseli sehingga ia dapat menemukan Allah di dalam diri kita.

Dalam pelayanan, konselor kadang bertemu dengan orang-orang yang sulit percaya bahwa mereka dapat mengharapkan belas kasihan Allah, mereka merasa bahwa pelanggaran mereka telah menempatkan mereka di luar batas pengampunan ilahi. Dalam keadaan ini, kepribadian konselor akan menjadi faktor yang menentukan, terutama pengalamannya di dalam pengampunan Allah. Karena itu, konselor harus mampu meyakinkan orang yang berdosa dengan tingkah laku dan perkataan, dengan pengertian yang lengkap tentang masalahnya, dan dengan penuh simpati. Di titik ini, konselor sebaiknya memperingatkan konseli yang tidak mampu menerima pengampunan dengan hormat. Jika seorang konselor mendapati si konseli yang menyesali dosanya terkubur dalam perasaan bersalah, ia harus berjaga-jaga dan siap menolong perasaan tersebut tidak menjadi-jadi dan membuat konseli mengalami sakit jiwa.

Akan tetapi, jika konseli yang sudah berulang kali ditolong masih datang kembali kepada konselor untuk melakukan pengakuan dosa yang baru, ini adalah tanda bahaya. Dari tanda ini, kita dapat berasumsi bahwa konseli adalah orang yang perfeksionis, yang cenderung tidak pernah merasa puas setelah berkonseling. Jika memang begitu keadaannya, konselor harus menguak akar yang menyebabkan orang itu menjadi perfeksionis. Di sisi lain, ketidakmampuan menerima pengampunan dapat juga disebabkan oleh perasaan bersalah yang muncul karena seseorang mengalami gangguan jiwa secara umum, bukan karena ia terlalu merasa bersalah. Untuk kasus ini, lebih baik sarankan konseli untuk meminta bantuan dokter jiwa.

Konselor Kristen hanyalah "sarana", yang sanggup menopang, mengarahkan, menolong, dan memulihkan konseli adalah Tuhan yang ada di dalam hati konselor. Tuhan akan mengembangkan sesuatu di dalam pengertian-Nya atas perasaan manusia, belas kasih-Nya atas kelemahan orang-orang, kesabaran, keyakinan, ketenangan, kekuatan, dan kelembutan-Nya. (t\Yusak)

Diterjemahkan dan diringkas dari:
Judul asli buku: Psychology for Pastor and People
Judul bab: Personal Qualities of The Counselor
Penulis: John Sutherland Bonnell
Penerbit: Harper and Brothers Publishers, USA: New York
Halaman: 41 -- 52

The Causes and Cure for Leadership Burnout

The Causes and Cure for Leadership Burnout

By Charles Stone

Leadership is tough. Good leaders understand this and manage their lives and leadership demands to avoid burnout. Sometimes, however, even the best leaders get burned out. If you’re now facing it, examine the cause list below to see what factors may be contributing to it. Then, take one proactive step this week from the cures list to take better care of yourself.

Four Causes of Leadership Burnout:

1. Allostatic load
This term describes the wear and tear on our body from chronic stress. Our bodies have limits. Yet, when we are under stress for long periods of time, our bodies suffer. Prolonged stress causes sustained high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which, along with an overabundance of other neurotransmitters and hormones, can cause heart problems, weight gain, impaired immunity, decreased memory due to brain cell atrophy and diminished brain functioning.
Chronic stress can shrink your brain.
2. Power stress
Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee, authors of Resonant Leadership, coined this phrase to describe a kind of stress unique to leaders. “Power stress is part of the experience that results from the exercise of influence and sense of responsibility felt in leadership positions.” McKee and Boyatzis explain that when the demands of leadership get so high and leaders fail to manage it, they risk becoming trapped in what they call the Sacrifice Syndrome. Sometimes we leaders feel so overly responsible for the success of our organizations or churches that we get caught in a vicious cycle of unhealthy sacrifice for others that leads to burnout.
3. Continuous partial attention
Linda Stone, author and consultant, developed this phrase to describe the mental trap we easily fall into when we constantly scan our surroundings to look for the best opportunities to spend our time on. It happens when we ‘skim,’ and pay attention only partially. When this happens to a leader, he will fail to focus on the most important tasks at hand and get further behind on mission critical issues. Then, he must rush to get the important things done, which contributes to chronic stress.
4. Multitasking
“Many leaders have convinced themselves that multitasking leads to greater productivity. However, researchers have shown that when we try to process two mental tasks at once, our mental capacity can drop from that of a Harvard MBA to that of an 8-year-old. And it can reduce our mental capacities as if we missed a night’s sleep or smoked pot (Rock, 2009, pp. 34– 36). Multitasking can also diminish long-term memory (Foerde et al., 2006). Even college students who multitasked with their laptops while in a class scored lower on tests than did students who didn’t multitask. And students who could see others multitasking also scored lower. So multitasking decreases others’ productivity as well as our own (Sana et al., 2013).” (from People Pleasing Pastors: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Approval Motivated Leadership by Charles Stone).
In fact, research shows that multitasking can add up to a 40 percent loss of productivity in a day. This decrease in productivity is called task switch cost.
So, what can we do to combat these factors that lead to burnout? Consider these steps.

Dr. Charles Stone is the founder of StoneWell Ministries, a pastor coaching and church consulting ministry. He is the author of three books, inlcuding his latest: People Pleasing Pastors: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Approval Motivated Leadership (IVP).
Learn more » Browse all articles by Charles Stone

3 Stages of Leadership Development. Where Are You?

3 Stages of Leadership Development. Where Are You?

By Matt Adair

How does your church develop leaders?
Researchers have discovered that less than 5 percent of churches have an intentional process for developing leaders. Maybe you have what in my tradition is called ‘officer training’ for potential elders and deacons, but I consider this ‘placement,’ not development. The truth is that every church develops leaders; what is lacking in most churches is an intentional process of developing leaders at every level.
Several years ago, it became obvious that our church was part of the 95 percent. We did not have the leaders that we needed to be responsible to the work that was in front of us. Since then, we have worked hard to design a process that puts us in a position to do the work necessary to live out our mission.
I am working on a few tweaks to our process based on my consulting work and our experience thus far. During one of my whiteboard sessions, I wrote down the three stages of leadership development that every leader has to walk through. I’d love to share them with you.

1. I Am Responsible for My Development

What did you do last week to improve as a leader?
During a text exchange with an expert in leadership development, he noted that the single biggest reason churches don’t develop leaders is because the pastor is not intentionally developing himself. So don’t skip over that question.
What did you do last week to improve as a leader?
Think of personal development like building a house: You need a solid foundation before you can add on different levels. The foundation for every leader looks the same. Consider these the Four Corners of Leadership Development:
• Self-Awareness—Accepting your weaknesses so you can focus your attention on your strengths
• Responsibility—Taking personal action to reach individual and organizational goals
• Time Multiplication—Focusing attention on what is significant and provides the greatest return on investment
• Resilience—Responding to failure with courage and curiosity
With that base underneath a leader, they can climb the ladder of leadership by paying attention to changes in what they value and do as they transition to the next level of leadership. These changes are something that few leaders pay attention to and, consequently, pay the price when they continue to do the work and live out the values of the leadership level they just left behind.
Let me give you an example. A volunteer is asked to take on a new role overseeing a team of volunteers. What happens if that leader does not develop a value for getting work done through others, or the skills necessary to build a healthy team of volunteers? Most likely, that new team leader will continue to value getting work done themselves and fail to invest in the development of their team.

2. I Will Reproduce Myself

Another reason that leaders are not developed in churches is because leaders do not know how to help someone else become a leader. And in a church culture where most leaders have never been developed by someone else, it makes complete sense that they don’t value or know how to reproduce themselves as leaders. So let’s nail down some basics of leadership development. Consider these the ABC(DE)s of Leadership Development.
• Attract—Inviting someone into an intentional process of developing as a leader
• Build Up—Providing the information someone needs to get started on their leadership journey
• Connect—Establishing relationships and responsibilities that keep new leaders engaged
• Design—Blueprinting a system where leaders are cared for, communicated with, supported and well-trained.
• Evaluate—Determining what gets measured to ensure that the rest of the system is effective

3. I Will (Help) Build a Leadership Pipeline

A leadership pipeline is a process for growing leaders internally at every level of a church, from volunteer to lead/senior pastor. And while every church should designate one person who is responsible for the pipeline, leaders at every level should contribute to the construction and upkeep of the pipeline.
When it comes to building a pipeline, most churches have the same four pieces that represent the church’s leadership levels; size of the church determines whether these are paid or volunteer roles:
• Leading Self—Responsible for getting work done themselves; in our church these are our Volunteers
• Leading Others—Responsible for getting work done through individual contributors; in our church these are our Ministry Team Leaders (which is the equivalent of deacons in other churches)
• Leading Leaders—Responsible for getting work done through those who are leading individuals; in our church this is our Management Team (paid staff)
• Leading the Church—Responsible for getting work done through those who lead the various ministry teams of your church; in our church this is my role as the Lead Pastor
And while those pieces are largely the same from church to church, your design process needs to take into account the particularities of your church and context. Here is the exact process that we’ve used at our church and that I use with my clients:
• Ask—Involve current and potential leaders in defining the problem
• Imagine—Brainstorm possible solutions
• Plan—Sketch out a visual model of your pipeline
• Create—Build one piece of the pipeline and test it out
• Improve—Modify your prototype to make it better
• Repeat—Walk through the entire design process for the next piece of your pipeline

Do the Next Right Thing

Take a few minutes and decide which stage of leadership development you are in right now. Spend 30 minutes designing an action plan that you can execute during the next month. Resist the temptation to build a churchwide development process if you don’t know how to develop yourself or another individual leader.

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Matt Adair is the lead pastor of Christ Community Church (christ-community.com) in Athens, GA and the founder of Griddiron, a coaching and consulting firm that helps church leaders build your world so you can change the world. Matt is the former North American Director of the Acts 29 Network, a global partnership of churches that plant churches. Matt is married to Lindsey, is the father of three sons, and is a graduate of Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, AL.

Learn more » Browse all articles by Matt Adair

New Christian Internet television Network seeks volunteers and other staff members

New Christian Internet television Network seeks volunteers and other staff members (Please use this version)  
 

News release from the Holy Spirit Broadcasting Network – For Immediate Release

ORANGE, CA (ANS -- November 4, 2015) -- A new Christian internet television network is seeking volunteers and other staff members to meet the growing production demands.

The Holy Spirit Broadcasting Network (http://hsbn.tv/) is being met with tremendous success, now being viewed in over 85 countries around the world in only eight months! They have their studio in Orange, California, where they are currently producing over 25 premier programs.

Bishop Andrew Bills who founded the network with his wife Ann Marie, stated, “The pace of our growth is completely beyond what we expected! We had no idea we would come this far so fast, which creates a great need for staff members and volunteers.”

Anyone interested in working in Christian television, is welcome to contact the Holy Spirit Broadcasting Network. Specific areas of need include video editors, camera operators, social media/email marketing, and audio editors. Additional positions are needed too, but these are the most critical at this time.

College students seeking intern work for credit are encouraged to apply. Call or write: 1 877-588-1664; email info@hsbn.tv ; HSBN, P. O. Box 6811, Orange, CA 92863 Please include your resume with initial communication.

Note: ANS founder, Dan Wooding, has two premier television programs on the Holy Spirit Broadcasting Network. The first is called “Windows on the World,” which is hosted by Pamela Christian, a well-known author, speaker and media personality, and features Dan bringing the top stories of the week from the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net). The second is “Inside Hollywood with Dan Wooding,” during which Wooding interviews top Christian personalities in Hollywood about their personal testimonies. The show is filmed, edited and produced by video veteran, Tim Hathaway.

Photo caption: Pamela Christian and Dan Wooding in discussion during a “Windows on the World” TV show.

** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net).

What does it Really Mean to Live?

What does it Really Mean to Live? (Writer's Opinion)

By Carol Round, Special to ASSIST News Service

CLAREMORE, OK (ANS – November 8, 2015) -- “Then he called his disciples and the crowds to come over and listen. ‘If any of you wants to be my follower,’ he told them, ‘you must put aside your own pleasures and shoulder your cross, and follow me closely. If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live. And how does a man benefit if he gains the whole world and loses his soul in the process?’” —Mark 8:34-36 (TLB).

Ten years ago this month, God showed me what it really means to live. I had retired from a 30-year teaching career just six months before. Within two months of leaving the public education world behind, God redirected my life’s journey to a different community where I knew very few people.

Before leaving my comfort zone, I had made plans—plans that didn’t involve consulting God. However, as the months passed leading up to my final day of teaching, God got my attention. He had a better plan for my life—a plan to use my gifts and talents for His glory. He had a path for the rest of my life, one I would not have chosen if it had been up to me. However, I listened.

After relocating to Claremore, God began placing people in my path, people specifically selected for the purpose of keeping me on track with His plan. What if I had ignored the guidance and encouragement from those people, who are now my friends?

What if I had not listened to that still, small voice telling me not to give up? Would I still be writing a weekly column that reaches around the world to places like Ireland, Kenya, Australia, France, Great Britain and many other foreign countries? This was definitely God’s plan, not mine.

In Mark 8:34-36, Jesus tells His disciples what it means to really live. Did these men live in luxurious homes or amass a fortune? No. But they gave up their lives to follow Jesus.

In a recent sermon, our pastor focused on this scripture. He said, “For years, I didn’t understand what Jesus meant.” Then, as he began to embrace what God was doing in his life, our pastor realized that “when we give our life to Christ, God gives us our life back.”

As Pastor Ray said, “It’s the paradox of the gospel.” There is, however, always the element of contradiction in a paradox, something that just doesn’t seem to make sense.

Does it make sense to throw away our lives for the sake of another? Some people live in fear of others taking advantage of them. Others live in fear of being hurt. Because they are so wrapped up in themselves, they never experience the great joy and satisfaction that comes from surrendering to Christ.

But Proverbs 22:4 tells us “True humility and respect for the Lord lead a man to riches, honor, and long life.”

Are you really living?

Note: I always love hearing from my readers. If you'd like to comment on this post, please email me at carol@carolaround.com or visit my blog for more inspiration at www.carolaround.com 

** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)